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Nelson Piquet Jr has criticised Flavio Briatore while handing an important piece of advice to Franco Colapinto.
Piquet Jr, 40, drove for Renault during his Formula 1 career, taking part in 28 races and scoring one podium finish.
Aside from F1, Piquet Jr also competed in Formula E, winning the title during the 14/15 season.
The Brazilian also raced in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
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Nelson Piquet Jr says having Flavio Briatore as manager was his ‘biggest mistake’
Speaking recently to Spanish news outlet SoyMotor, Piquet Jr claimed that having Briatore as his manager during his F1 career was one of his biggest mistakes.
The Brazilian also advised current Alpine driver Colapinto to have people within his team who will look after him.
Piquet Jr’s comments came after it was reported that Briatore had lined up extra training for Colapinto after his poor start to the 2026 season.
Colapinto has only scored one point so far this campaign, 14 behind teammate Pierre Gasly.
Speaking about the main difference between himself and Colapinto, Piquet Jr said: “The biggest difference between Franco and me is that, I’m almost sure, he has his manager. He is surrounded by good people.
“The biggest mistake for me was having Flavio as a manager, as a mentor. That was our mistake, mine and that of my parents, not having a person to trust.”
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He continued: “We should have had someone to advise us, to protect my interests. He had six, seven or eight drivers… I was just a number in the game. He did what he needed with the puzzle to have a greater profit.
“If Franco has the right people around him, let them look after his interests… I think that’s the most important thing.
“When you’re in an agency with a lot of athletes, you’re not the priority. The important thing is to have someone by your side who really looks out for you.”
READ MORE: Alpine have a new off-track ‘problem’ with Franco Colapinto and his F1 future is in doubt
The pressure is mounting on Franco Colapinto
Ever since replacing Jack Doohan on the back of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, the pressure has been mounting on Colapinto.
The 22-year-old endured a tough 2025 as he struggled to keep pace with Gasly, finishing on zero points while Gasly scored 22.
At the time, Colapinto was given the benefit of the doubt as Alpine had the slowest car on the grid.
However, things have suddenly changed as Alpine’s 2026 challenger appears to be much improved.
With Briatore having a reputation for being ruthless when it comes to replacing drivers, Colapinto will need to step up his game in order to keep his seat in F1.
The Argentine has to rediscover the kind of form he showed early in his Williams stint that attracted many people’s attention.
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